Is there a standard for surveillance systems?

July 7, 2010 1:48 PM

I'm trying to access a webcam/serveillance system that I have. Is there a protocol or standard to interact with DVR/webcam systems?

I bought a one of those cheap DVR/camera combos. It is iphone compatible. And by that they mean that if you install certain iPhone Apps, you can watch live video.

I was recommended an App called aPlayer. The aPlayer App indeed works as expected. Also, aPlayer is supposed to work with a wide variety of surveillance systems.

If, and this is a big if, aPlayer is connecting to my cheapo DVR using a known port, standard or protocol, I might find some other software for my Mac that can connect to the DVR and/or the cameras.

How is aPlayer (or for the case any other similar apps) connecting to my DVR? Is it using a known protocol?

(I don't want to control the dvr/cameras as much as to see live video)

posted by edmz to Technology (3 answers total)

My experience with this is that port 100 needs to be open, and is a default port for some systems.

I'm running it through an Apple router, on which I have opened port 100.

To test it, try accessing the DVR from inside your network to its local IP with port 100 at the end:

http://10.0.1.15:100
posted by disclaimer at 2:42 PM on July 7, 2010

Response by poster: odinsdream,

I don't have the make/model at hand. I also left it out on purpose because, at least with aPlayer, you don't get asked any make nor model, it makes it look like it guesses it or uses a known standard. I'm wishing is the latter.


disclaimer,

well, I can access the DVR admin page at port 8080, but you need an OCX to control and view the camera. I'm on mac, so I can't use that. If I connect to port 18004 with aPlayer I get to see live video. I'm interested in whatever is happening in port 18004.
posted by edmz at 3:28 PM on July 7, 2010

The DVR probably outputs video on as a standard RTP stream. Probably some flavor of mpeg4.
posted by jmsta at 4:59 PM on July 7, 2010